the Door

Walk in faith together

PEOPLE of all faiths are invited to Join the Friendship Walk through Oxford on Tuesday 3 June.
The walk begins at 6.30pm at the Oxford Synagogue in Jericho, visiting St Mary the Virgin Church in Radcliffe Square, before finishing at 8pm at the Central Oxford Mosque in Manzil Way.
Prayers will be said at each location and a buffet supper will follow. For more information call 01865 425000.

Quarrendon school a step nearer academy status

Quarrendon School in Buckinghamshire has moved a step nearer gaining Academy status.
Funds have now been agreed by the government for a 'feasibility team'  to take the existing school and its Academy sponsors - the Oxford Diocesan Board of Education and Buckinghamshire County Council - through the transition process.

If plans are fully approved, Quarrendon is scheduled to open as a Church of England Academy with science and technology specialism in September 2009, relocating to   its new campus on the Berryfields housing development in 2011. It will be non-selective with no precedence given on the basis of faith.
`Leslie Stephen, Director of Education for the Diocese of Oxford, said: 'Sponsoring this Academy would be a wonderful opportunity to develop our historical mission to provide the best education for all children.'

Historic post for Lord Harries

Gresham College in London has appointed the former Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd Lord Harries of Pentregarth as Divinity Professor, a 411-year-old position.

Lord Harries will begin his tenure with a series of six free public lectures on the topic of Christianity and Literature.

Gresham College was created to provide the highest standard of education completely free of charge to the public, and has seen such names as Sir Christopher Wren, Cecil Day Lewis and Sir Roger Penrose hold 'Gresham Chairs'. The tradition of free public lectures understandable for all continues to this day.
Lord Harries' first lecture will take place on 8 October at a venue to be confirmed.

Bless this House of Praise

IT'S not often the Bishop of Oxford goes clubbing these days, he admits. But he gladly made an exception for Oxford's first Christian night club, 'The House of Praise' at Baby Simple Bar in Cowley Road. He joined DJ G (pictured) and Junior G for a turn on the music decks before blessing the venture, saying: 'This is a good way for the Church to make contact with a culture that it's  not immediately acquainted with. I'm delighted to support it.'

Photo: KT Bruce 

Cherwell tackles homelessness

LOCAL churches and faith groups are backing workshops by Cherwell District Council and national charity Care for the Family, as part of a groundbreaking campaign called 'No Place Like Home' which aims to tackle homelessness among young people by focusing on the merits of teenagers staying with their families.

Care for the Family's community learning manager says: 'The teen years bring their own unique challenges and the going gets tough for all of us sometimes. With a little extra support we can help each other get through.'

An information pack, 'The parents' guide to understanding teenagers', is also available to all parents with teenagers living in the district. Call Glenda Evans on 01295 227969 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for details.

Two breakfast workshops will run from 8.30-11.30am on 5 July at Kidlington Methodist Church, and on 12 July at Bicester Methodist  Church. A tea-time workshop will run at The People's Church, Banbury on 11 July from 6.30-9.30pm.

Church tea cheers hospital booters

An unusual outreach from St Mark's hospital church in Maidenhead has been warming hearts at the local hospital car boot sales.

Members of the church have been setting up their gas burners and kettles in the hospital grounds to provide tea, coffee and biscuits at the monthly car boot sales in the hospital  grounds.

Lay minister, Pat Rose, says refreshments always finish in time for the church's service at 10.15am, and there's an open invitation for 'car-booters' to join in.

Rogation on the move at Leafield 

The Revd Brian Ford, vicar of St Mary's Church, Leafield, leads the way for the Rogation service which this year, took place in various locations around Langley Farm, Leafield.

Photo: Simon Bentley 

Does someone in your parish need a holiday? Asks Mothers' Union

IS there a family or individual in your parish who you know cannot afford a desperately needed holiday? The Mothers' Union want to help.

The MU 'Away from It All' scheme offers a week away in a centre such as Butlins, and makes all the arrangements for them, as well as bearing the cost.

Application can also be made for help with the cost of other kinds of holiday - perhaps where there are special needs or where a carer needs a rest.

Those applying need the recommendation from their incumbent, social worker or health visitor.
To put forward a family or individual for a holiday write to Away from It All organiser, The Mothers' Union, The Priory Room, Christ Church, Oxford, OX1 1DP, for an application form to start the process.

21st century hall for St Mary's

THE Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd John Pritchard, has opened a long-awaited £750,000 extension at St Mary's Church, Princes Risborough, providing modern meeting facilities for use by the whole community.

Rector, Paul Fiske, told the Door: 'We are thrilled The future of a town centre church like St Mary's must lie in its openness to the community as a daily centre for worship, prayer and Christian contact. The new facilities are a massive step forward into the 21st century.'

Church full - please try later

FLYING in the face of gloomy statistics about falling church attendance, St Sebastian's Church at Wokingham Without, Berks, is having to introduce a second Sunday service to accommodate its growing congregation.

The 10am service will now be replaced by one at 9.30am and a later 11.15am service.

The Revd Andrew Marsden said that to maintain unity within the congregation the two services will look and feel much the same but, with God's blessing, would allow the church to continue growing.

Celebrations in Cape Town 

Relaxing with members of the Kimberley and Kuruman (K&K) diocese, after the formalities of the Installation of the new Archbishop Thabo Makgoba in Cape Town;Bishop Colin, the Revd Dr Martyn Percy, Bishop John and the Ven Karen Gorham attended the service of installation which took just under four hours and used all 18 official languages of the Province in the liturgy. Bishop John's subsequently visited our twin diocese K&K with  the Revd Nick Molony in a fact-finding tour to help strengthen the link as it moves into a new five-year phase.
Bishop John said he was looking forward to the new phase of working together for mutual benefit.